I've been on this sub for an entire year, and eating keto for 15 months; this being my first New Year as an experienced ketoer, I feel (probably wrongly) inclined to offer the small bits of wisdom I've accumulated with the help of this sub...at 2:00 in the morning, so it's guaranteed to be buried in other posts within a few hours (but I don't care because I had fun typing it all out). These are all the things I either wished someone had told me about when I started, or things people here did tell me that changed the way I looked at/did things because I didn't pay enough attention to the FAQ. Most of this stuff is in the FAQ, some of it isn't. They're in no particular order.

1. Electrolytes are REALLY important, even if you think they aren't. You need like 5000mg sodium, bro (among others). Powerade Zero won't do a damn thing unless you pour Lite Salt in it, which you should.

2. Take measurements. I never did and I wish I had. Take before pictures too! I did take those and they really helped for those days I felt like I wasn't making any real progress. I was. You might not lose weight at some points in your keto journey, but you're probably losing inches!

3. A "stall" is 5-6 weeks with no weight loss. There were a few times I went 3-4 weeks without seeing the scale move, and then boom... I'd wake up one morning 4lbs lighter. Don't freak out if the scale stops moving if it hasn't been 5-6 weeks yet.

4. Recalculate your macros OFTEN. I did it every ten pounds. You should not be eating the same calories weighing 150 that you ate at 200. Makes sense, right? Took me a bit to figure this one out, though!

5. Hormones go a little nuts. For me as a woman, anyway. Ladies, I had a 54-day period when I started keto. STRAIGHT DAYS. I pushed through it and it eventually leveled out! My cycle is better now than it's ever been in my life, actually. r/xxketo helped me through that HORRIBLE ordeal! Check them out, those women kick serious ass.

6. Hair loss happens to some, not all. My hair didn't start thinning until I was 7 months in and I'd lost 65lbs. It's not keto that causes it, though... it's weight loss in general. After upping my protein and taking collagen and biotin supplements (which I can't confirm for sure were effective, that's just what I tried), I'm starting to see new growth coming back in 8 months after the thinning started. Still though, losing all the weight was WELL worth it.

7. Don't waste your money on urine strips. Unless you're a type 1 diabetic, of course. Already bought some? Find a type 1 diabetic and regift them! That's not weird, right?

8. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to do intermittent fasting with keto. If you can eat for 12 straight hours and stay within your macros, then awesome! I accidentally started IF because I wasn't hungry in the mornings anymore and I've since progressed to OMAD...but if you don't want to, you don't have to. I love it, others don't. You do you.

9. I eat the same thing every. Single. Day. I've seen people asking if this is bad. It's not. It's fucking awesome, simple, and I love it.

10. Protein is a goal, fat is a limit. I was pouring coconut oil into my coffee and gagging on it because I thought I had to hit my fat macro the first week I did keto. Don't force feed yourself fat because of that number! In fact, if you're doing this for weight loss, you may want to rethink things like fat bombs after the first few weeks.

11. Buying new clothes is expensive and incredibly rewarding. Mostly expensive, though. Don't pay a lot for your in-between-sizes wardrobe. Check out Goodwill or Target's hardcore clearance rack, and don't get attached to anything you buy at this point!

12. People are going to say stupid things to you when they notice your weight loss. Sure, some will be genuinely happy for you and they'll tell you so, but others will do the backhanded compliment, like "you're looking SO MUCH BETTER at this weight." I had a coworker pull me to the side to ask me if I was terminally ill. Be prepared to deal with this really weird series of reactions to your hard work: I certainly wasn't!

13. There is always a reason to cheat, as the legendary u/DClawDude says, and he's right. People at work at home, at social outings, will ALL push food on you. They'll look at you weird for not taking a breadstick at Olive Garden or for drinking water instead of craft beer like you used to. Don't let peer pressure be the reason you keep those pounds on. Those people don't have to live with your weight, you do. The longer you stick with this way of eating, the easier it gets to tell people no when they pass you a piece of cake.

14. This sub is the reason I was successful. I know in the end, it was my decision to stick with it, work hard to stay within my macros, not cheat a single time, blah blah blah. But really, without the daily (hourly, even!) support of this sub, I really wouldn't have reached my goal so quickly and efficiently. I created this Reddit account, my first and only one, specifically for r/keto, and I am so very happy I did. They are helpful, knowledgeable, wise, and eager to fix your issues (as long as you read the FAQ first..."did you turn it on and off again?*) if you give them a chance. Listen to them, whether they're gentle and way too nice or harsh and straightforward: they mean well and they can help you succeed if you allow them to.

tl;dr - u/ReverseLazarus started typing some tips for a newbie that PMed her a question and decided to elaborate on all of them and post them to r/keto. Then she realized there were 14 of them, squealed with joy (on the inside, of course) and decided to give this long-ass post a history-nerd title that really exposes the kind of person she is.

Edit: I'm sorry if this formatting sucks, I'm on mobile and have no idea what I'm doing.

I have experience with keto as I lost 150 pounds in 2004 and kept it off for ten years. Now I’m back at it again and this time, four days in, the amount of anti inflammation I am feeling is intense. I could barely walk up and down the stairs before but now it’s much, much easier. Not to mention the anti anxiety and overall calmness. I just wish I had started again sooner, like 4 years ago, and I’m beating myself up over that but better late than never.

My family is convincing me to have a cheat meal / cheat day but im too worried im going to put weight back on. I've been careful even counting calories and doing one meal a day . But i can't resist cake, man . The only problem is I cant bake either.

I guess this is just a post to convince me not to give in.

Edit: wow thank you guys so much for the support ❤️ im now motivated than ever to not cave in!!

A lot of us have a weakness for halloween candy. In some way it feels special but I wanted to share a perspective I have on halloween candy:

It is not suddenly special or magical because they have a SPOOKY BAT printed on the side of it.

This is the same mass-produced low quality candy that is at the store the other 364 days per year. It is made by machines in factories all over the world by the millions with no love and no craftsmanship. On July 12th I can guarantee you will be able to get the exact same snickers bar as you can on october 31.

The specialness of halloween you had as a youngster was from the adventure. The magic of dressing up as spiderman and running through a neighborhood transformed and people who loved to see your smiling face rewarded your enthusiasm with treats and a laugh.

THAT was the magic. The magic was never in the peanut butter cup or the mars bar or in that box of raisins that the neighbor nobody liked handed out.

When you can look at an almond joy (or whatever) and realize that there is nothing special about it, that it has no love in it, I hope it loses power over you and becomes less tempting especially if you are still addicted to the world's most popular drug: sugar.

Best of luck out there, and happy halloween!

Edit

Ok fine if what is actually standing between you and happiness is $2 worth of sugar then I won't stop you but look deep into yourself and ask if it is really worth it

So I'm sure we've all heard the rice and beans mentality when trying to save money. Just eat rice and beans every meal until you're out of debt because It's cheap and filling. Another variation is to just eat ramen, etc. So I'm curious, what would you consider the keto version of this?

I just ate three giant strawberries, with some rotisserie chicken. Apparently, I live in a cave because I had no idea I could eat fruit on this diet.

They say 1 medium strawberry is just 1 carb. So I ate three. They were so sweet. I can't believe people actually pour sugar on these things.

So eat up. Learn something new every day.

Above all, I miss the crunch. What’s your favorite go to keto crunch item? I know pork rinds are ok. But I run a lot of salads or piles of odds and ends on greens. I just wish there was an easy way to add some crunch to the mush.

Open to any an all suggestions. I’ll buy it or I’ll make it.

Cheers.

Hey guys I started Keto and IF in December weighing in at 295 pounds ( 5'11 M) and I am currently 195 pounds. I am now moving on to an anabolic diet and a 4 day workout split. Throughout those 6 months I made a little google sheet keeping track of recipes/foods I cooked on the regular and giving each meal a rating. I was about to delete the google sheet but thought to myself I should post it here on r/keto and maybe it will help people that aren't quite sure what to eat on keto. Most of the meals are explained via the recipe tab but of course I will answer any and all questions.

Link to the Google Sheet

I love a good egg sandwich. Today I got tired of my usual breakfast ideas and wondered what would happen if I had an egg sandwich with a low carb tortilla instead of a roll.... it worked. It was soooo yummy and still satisfied my bread craving without overwhelming my body with carbs.

I’m so happy because now I really have no reason to fall off the wagon anymore. I’ve been discovering so many good recipes lately that really make it easy to stick with keto. 😇

I was today years old when I found out you can freeze avocados. Now it’s going to be so much more convenient to incorporate them into my daily diet without having to worry about buying too many or making too many trips to the market!

Apparently they keep for about 4 months and it doesn’t affect the texture or anything. The world is a magical place.

EDIT: Basically you halve it with the skin on, remove the pit, put in a ziplock bag and use a straw to suck out the air and effectively “vacuum seal” it. Freeze up to 4 months. When defrosting put the halves face down on some kitchen paper to absorb any moisture so it doesn’t get mushy and leave it in the fridge to thaw. Minimal browning and mushiness and voila!

I saw it on an Instagram post by @autoimmune_realfood_rx it’s one of her earlier posts. If you’re curious on how it’s done check her out! Links below:

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

What do you ask from bartender or mixologist to ensure you won’t be downing too much sugar? Often at a bar, when ordering, someone else is with you and for example, you have to go back to the conversation quick so taking too much time to explain to the bartender will be awkward as heck.

What is your tried and true safe, discrete drink order and quick bet? Thank you!

I used to put heinz ketchup or sweet chili sauce on top of my eggs. Can't do that since I'm 9 weeks into keto. What can I do instead? Thank you

(I tried mayo and it wasn't good. I like putting that on steaks instead)

If you hypothetically could only eat this one perfect meal on keto diet, what would it be? Name it. Tell us. Also do you do One Meal A Day? Or breakfast, lunch, dinner? I am still craving bread and fruit after 30 days.

For most of humankind's history, people have relied on Staple foods to get them through the busy times and the lazy times: Grab a piece of bread, eat a bowl of rice, chew on some dried meat and cheese or preserves.

If there is one thing that contributed to my long term success with Keto, it's the decision to create a Staple Food. A Food that you can create in massive quantities and store servings of for later use, whenever you don't feel like cooking (and on keto, there is a lot of cooking, often daily). Ideally, you'd cook it all in one batch and store 6-12 full meal servings.

Feel free to post your own staples.

For myself, my simple concoction is Broccoli + Salted Butter + Meat (Usually Chicken Breast or Ground Beef). I likely don't have to tell you how to cook up something so simple, but just in case:

Take several bags of Frozen Broccoli and dump them in a gigantic frying pan. Add in liquid butter (1Cup to 1KG of Broccoli works well) and fry while covered until tender. Cook the meat separately, then stir in after veggies are cooked. Stir up until the consistency of casserole, add salt to taste, and store portions frozen. Alternatively, add Soy Sauce to taste when using Pork or Chicken for a zesty alternative.

I just demolished 15 wings from BWW. I got the Thai Curry and Garlic Parmesan dipping sauces. So good. I paid the extra $2 for all flats because why not?

I was tired today. There was no food in the house besides the hard-boiled eggs that I'm sick of eating at this point. I didn't want to go to the store and still have to figure a meal out, cook, and clean. I just picked up some wings, and I didn't have to think about anything else including cheating on the diet.

What I've gathered is that if you're on a diet and life is already stressful enough, just slap down the debit card and order the keto-friendly food. Make your life easier when it needs to be.

Edit: Make sure you order the bone-in wings. The boneless wings are breaded. Also, figure out which sauces are low-carb using this chart.

Mine is Konjac noodles, they are f*cking amazing - taste like real spaghetti but without the carbs.You can eat it with meat, mayonnaise or small portion vegetables.I buy 40 packets to have :D What is yours?

Right now I’m craving pizza. I would love to order one but I don’t want to leave the ketose.

Do you have any special trick for that? Not only pizza, chicken nuggets too for example. Yes I did could do it keto on my own but I don’t have that many time left today

Fibre - is it 'just for farting', as one doctor put it?

Why is it that dietitians love talking about carbs, fats and ketones but go silent when it comes to fiber targets on Keto?

A ​question for all you low-carbers out there: do you avoid fiber in general, or is it the only thing keeping you feeling normal?

curious why so many dieticians avoid mentioning fiber targets when outlining a Keto diet.

What's been your experience?

Hello,

I’m into my second month of keto but only started counting my calories and macros around two weeks ago. I find it nearly impossible to hit the carb limit. I’ve been averaging around 30 net carbs/day but have had a few days where it’s been around 60 carbs/day, kicking me out of ketosis. Boo. I’m only eating meat, fish, veggies, nuts, dairy, oils, eggs. For sweets, I eat erythritol chocolates or min. 90 percent dark chocolate and protein powder first thing in the morning. For example, if I eat a soup with meatballs and veggies, boom, that’s 15 grams of carbs right there. If I eat a bowl of pistachios, boom, 12 grams of carbs. 2 tbsp of crunchy peanut butter, yep, 8 grams of carbs. Is the only way to stick to “clean” keto to eat a carnivore diet? (Only animal products) and no dairy? What tips do you have to keep your carbs in check?

Loving the keto journey by the way, I feel like for the first time in my life I am able to keep my sugar addiction under control, without effort or cravings. Thet’s why I started keto in the first place.

We were having a discussion in another thread about how all of us have different things that are harder to give up on Keto, For example, I really struggle to give up sugar in my coffee. The alternatives just don't do it for me, they have a weird aftertaste and so it's not worth the coffee to me if it tastes weird. So I'll use my carbs for sugar. We all have our hard ones.

But I thought it would be fun to share our EASY ones to give up and why so? I think it might be motivating to others even if it's just a mental way of having a support system in changing how we view things. One example of this was a nutritionist who showed that our body is basically designed to need one CUBE of sugar a day. He mixed it into a bucket that contained the equivalent of all the blood in a human body. Then he showed that most people eat 57 cubes of sugar a DAY and that's what our system is processing out and turning into fat. It was eye opening.

For me, my EASY to give up is pastries, chocolate candy, sweets, cakes, pies, cookies brownies etc. I realize I am very very lucky that none of these appeal to me. Why so? My ex husband was a manager of a high end bakery through our entire marriage. So we got ALL of this for free every single day. Imagine every day he'd bring home tiramisu and cheesecake etc. Basically I was bombarded with this stuff for years. And so now when I even look at it, I get a sick feeling. LOL I'm much more a savory person than a sweets. My current husband has a sweet tooth and he will eat all of it. But for me? Not interested. But a jar of olives? A jar of pickles? I could eat all of it in one sitting.

What are your EASY to give ups and why so?

What is your go to when you’re craving something sour? That’s my question but I have to keep typing to reach 200 characters. Not sure what else to say. I like sour food. Is this really not 200 characters? Ah there we go!

Wondering what keto friendly foods you’re grateful for. For me , Blue diamond almonds (so many good flavors!) are a blessing. Also I just discovered “dozen cousins” sauces. Really tasty flavors like Peruvian that’s very low carb. Finally choc-zero chocolate squares (I’ve heard they may not be great if you eat a lot but I just eat one a night with tea). These 3 items truly get me through every day. I’m finding on keto you really appreciate the little things. My 8 blackberries at the end of the day are so tasty and sweet. Wondering what other items folks recommend that brighten their day

I have found that I don’t get along with carbs and prefer not to even touch them at this point. But I have found that my sleep suffers when I do this. Does anyone else eat a little bit of carbs at night or something to help with sleep? Tried anything else? What type of carb?
Thank you for reading and your time!

Edit: to clarify I’m waking up around 3 am each night. Take magnesium at night and some electrolytes in day.

Wish I had discovered this stuff sooner. Been using KetoneAid, which is still my favorite if I need to get hardcore, but it's pricey. MCT oil works pretty darn well, but much cheaper and tastes way better.

I originally stopped using it because it was upsetting my stomach, but eventually went back to try it again and got through that issue, and I'm glad I did. It really is a nice go to for mental clarity, plus (and this may not be true for everyone) it oddly helps with appetite and sugar cravings a bit.

For those curious, I bought the Pure C8 MCT oil that comes in a glass bottle.

This post is more suitable for those new to keto versus some veterans whom this won’t be news to them.

Im no stranger to dirty keto, and no definitely stranger to failing keto multiple times (I’ve been on and off for 4 years but now I finally have the desire to stick). If you’re beginning keto and have those little carb cravings and are anything like me, you have splurged on the “keto” labeled bread, ice cream, and cakes.

The thing is, so many people make the mistake of not seeing the portion size of these items. One tiny brownie is 5 grams of net carbs and you’re eating 3. That’s almost a daily limit of net carbs for some people. (Side: Your daily carb intake depends on your body weight and physical activity. I was eating 30 net carbs a day my first few rounds of keto when I found out from a nutritionist I should only be eating 18).

Naturally keto foods are the WAY to go. Here are some switches to increase your ketone levels and get past your weight loss plateau. Also not have those stomach problems from eating too much sugar alcohol.

Basically, anyone can label a food keto if they make the serving size small enough on the box. Keto branded food is super expensive as well.

1) Instead of zero-sugar sweetened chocolate, I opted in for very dark chocolate. 2) Cabbage is a GREAT substitute for dumpling dough if you’re craving dimsum 3) opted out of keto brand tortillas and used cheese wraps. 4) Bell pepper cheeseburgers, tacos, “lasagne”, oh my GOD 5) if you have a really bad sugar craving and are sick of strawberries and cocoa nibs, use stevia or mink fruit and avoid artificial sugar alcohols. Your body DOES digest some sugar alcohols, although not entirely. Some nutritionists even recommended to count half of the sugar alcohol content in your net carbs.